Also of interest ... in first-person adventures

The Black Hole War

by Leonard Susskind

(Little, Brown, $28)

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In 1983, Stephen Hawking put all laws of physics at risk when he theorized that a black hole destroys information when it collapses and disappears, said Jesse Cohen in the Los Angeles Times. For Stanford’s Leonard Susskind it provoked two decades of friendly argument, at the end of which his Nobel-winning adversary graciously conceded he had been wrong. Susskind’s account of the two physicists’ battle “glows with the warmth of conversation” even as it “tames the most ferocious concepts” imaginable.

Books

by Larry McMurtry

(Simon & Schuster, $24)

Loyal fans will find “more than a few nuggets” worth their time in Larry McMurtry’s breezy new memoir about his long career as an antiquarian book dealer, said Curt Schleier in The Seattle Times. But even in the capable hands of the beloved Texas novelist, “the subject of buying and selling books can be, well, boring.”

Can’t Remember What I Forgot

by Sue Halpern

(Harmony, $24)

Nature writer Sue Halpern volunteered for a battery of tests during the five years she spent trying to determine what scientists really know about memory loss, said Kyla Dunn in The New York Times. While she creates a “valuable snapshot” by putting her own process of discovery “front and center,” she’s occasionally “sloppy” with her scientific explanations, and her congenial tome is likely to be forgotten soon after the science moves on.

A Few Seconds of Panic

by Stefan Fatsis

(Penguin, $26)

You have to question the judgment of a 43-year-old sportswriter who truly believes he has a chance of making an NFL roster as a placekicker, said Dan Danbom in the Denver Rocky Mountain News. Still, Stefan Fatsis delivers more insight into the “joyless, dangerous life” of today’s pro players than you’re likely to find in any daily newspaper.